About Me

Who am I? Good question. I am a writer, a photographer, a musician, a black and gold bleeding fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a student of life. I am also someone who has been given a great many medical challenges in life. I was 19 when I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, a chronic and often debilitating disease of the central nervous system. On Sept 10 2007, I became an above-knee-amputee which was ultimately my decision after spending 4 years fighting off life-threatening infections in my knee. [Yes, I chose to amputate. I know that is hard to fathom for many people but it is what I had to do to get my life back and I’m so very glad I did.] It’s been a hard several years for me but in those years I have learned so much about myself, about life, and about what makes someone a true friend. Do I have times when I get down and think to myself, “God, I wish none of this had ever happened?” Of course I do. I am human. But in the end, I wouldn’t trade it for anything because I believe that everything happens because it is supposed to happen even if the reasons aren’t made clear to us for days, weeks, months or even years. Had I not gone through all of this I’d have missed out on some of the greatest friendships I’ve ever had. On the whole, I see the pain I’ve had to endure (mentally, physically and emotionally) as blessings in disguise. It is through them that I’ve learned just how strong and determined a person I am. My past is riddled with mistakes, some big, some small, but I do not have regrets. I believe that the events and the people of the past are what mold us into the people we are today. Having looked death in the eye, I can say with certainty that even when everything seems to be going wrong and even when the worst of the worst is happening, life is worth living. Life is worth fighting for. I now know just how important living for today is and that life should never be taken for granted. I’ve learned not to play the “what if” game because there is an infinite number of “what ifs” in the universe and if we spend all of our time dwelling on them, we miss out on today. There are no guarantees in life and we all have our own crosses to bear. I am proud of who I am. I am proud to be proof that MS can only control your life and become who you are if you allow it to. I am proud to be an amputee. I am proud of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it for anything because in the words of country singer Brad Paisley, “…when you go through life so sure of where you’re headin' and you wind up lost, it's the best thing that could have happened. ‘Cause sometimes when you lose your way it's really just as well because you find yourself. Yeah, that’s when you find yourself...” I’ve endured a lot in my 24 years but thanks to all of the good times and because of the bad… I have found myself.